scitechcox - Did_We

Wondrous and Beautiful

Somehow the wondrous promise of the Earth is that there are beautiful things in it, things wondrous and alluring, and by virtue of your trade, you want to understand them.
--Mitchell Feigenbaum

Producers Not Consumers

The question for each man to settle is not what he would do if he had means, time, influence and educational advantages; the question is what he will do with the things he has. The moment a young man ceases to dream or to bemoan his lack of opportunities and resolutely looks his conditions in the face, and resolves to change them, he lays the corner-stone of a solid and honorable success.
--Hamilton Wright Mabie

Your final exam will be taken in two parts:

Benchmark-like Essays (which determine whether you pass or fail);
Multiple Choice Questions (which determine your letter grade).

Completing your Essays with satisfactory answers guarantees that you will receive a passing grade. Beyond that, Multiple Choice results will determine HOW WELL you pass. These cut-offs will be in the spirit of 1-5 Quality Points, rather than 0-100%.

Benchmark Essays

You will have four essays, randomly assigned, one from each of the following four categories:

Nature:

	Natural resources are often found in a form that requires chemical and/or physical changes. Choose some examples and discuss them in a way that illustrates the meaning of chemical and physical changes, and the difference between them.
	What is crude oil, and how do we process it to make it useful?
	What is fire? What happens to the fuel as it burns?

Motion:

	Archimedes famously said, "Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world." Give an example of leverage in action, and explain how this related to the concept of mechanical advantage.
	Suppose you had two simple machines and you knew that one had twice the mechanical advantage of the other. How could you tell which was which, and how would that influence your use of the two tools? Can you give examples of common tools that display a variety of mechanical advantages?
	Explain how Newton's Laws of Motion would apply in a microgravity space hotel.
	Explain how astronomers track asteroids. What paths do they take, and how can we anticipate possible impacts with the Earth?

Electricity:

	Suppose you had a city that needed 40 units of power, with an environmental impact less than 40. The power company has narrowed the choices down to Trash-To-Steam facilities (power=5, cost=30, impact=6 for each unit), Wind facilities (power=2, cost=10, impact=1 per unit), and Hydroelectric facilities (power=20, cost=160, impact=10 per unit). Please make a recommendation and justify it! How could future developments change the numbers given in this scenario?
	What is the difference between power and energy? What does the electrical utility actually charge you for?
	What is the purpose of a fuse or a circuit breaker?
	Give an example which shows how electrical switches/sensors can be used to process complex information.

Information:

	How do color monitors and color printers "take shortcuts" in producing a full-color image?
	AM and FM radio often have different programming, but they differ in more important ways. Discuss the amplitude and frequency of radio stations on both parts of the dial.
	Different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum are used to transmit information. Choose two parts of the spectrum in common use, and explain the qualities that make them good for transmitting information.